And he said to them, “When you pray, say
‘Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.’”
(Luke 11:2, English Standard Version)
Today’s Reading: Luke 11
Listen to Luke 11 on her.BIBLE.
When Jesus came to earth, He preached the good news that the kingdom of God was at hand. When He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He presented Himself as the ruler of that kingdom. But He was rejected by the Jewish leaders and condemned to death by the Roman governor.
After this rejection, Jesus completed His redemptive work. Hebrews 10:12-13 (ESV) tells us, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since then has been waiting until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.”
The apostle Paul described this another way in Philippians 2:8-11 (ESV)
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As these verses state, Jesus’ kingdom is coming, when one day all will bow before Him. Throughout the New Testament, we see the promise that Christ will return. And He will not be refused this time. As conquering king, He is coming in all His power and glory to establish the kingdom of God.
Then everyone will know that He is the king of the universe and will acknowledge that fact publicly in submission to His authority. And at that time, we will see the culmination of Jesus’s redemption and perfect restoration — the restoration we all long for.
We wait and long for His glorious return — for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
What do you expect when you think about Jesus’ return to the earth? Explore more about what the Bible says.
Lynn Maynard is a lawyer who works with Faith and Law Around the Globe® (FLAG), the Cru® outreach to legal professionals around the world. Before joining Cru, she served in the Navy JAG Corps for almost six years, practiced criminal defense and family law for 10 years and then went to Dallas Seminary to earn a Th.M. She has been a Cru staff member for over 20 years.
Get some ideas to turn holiday conversations — from Christmas to New Year's Day — toward Jesus.
©1994-2023 Cru. All Rights Reserved.
